Article abstract
Nature Chemistry 1, 80 - 86 (2009)
Published online: 8 March 2009 | Corrected online: 16 March 2009 | Corrected online: 27 March 2009 | doi:10.1038/nchem.125
There is a Corrigendum (May 2009) associated with this Article.
Subject Categories: Materials chemistry | Nanotechnology
Polymer nanofibre junctions of attolitre volume serve as zeptomole-scale chemical reactors
Pavel Anzenbacher, Jr & Manuel A. Palacios1
Abstract
Methods allowing chemical reactions to be carried out on ultra-small scales in a controllable fashion are potentially important for a number of disciplines, including molecular electronics, photonics and molecular biology, and may provide fundamental insight into chemistry in confined spaces. Ultra-small-scale reactions also circumvent potential problems associated with reagent and product toxicity, and reduce energy consumption and waste generation. Here, we report a technique for performing chemical reactions on a zeptomole (10-21 mol) scale. We show that electrospun polymer nanofibres with a diameter of 100–300 nm can be loaded with reactants, and that the junctions formed between crossed nanofibres can function as attolitre-volume reactors. Exposure to heat or solvent vapours fuses the fibres and initiates the reaction. The reaction products can be analysed directly within the nanofibre junctions by fluorescence measurements and mass spectrometry, and solvent extraction of multiple reactors allows product identification by common micromethods such as high-performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry.
- Center for Photochemical Sciences and Department of Chemistry, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio 43403, USA
Correspondence to: Pavel Anzenbacher, Jr e-mail: pavel@bgsu.edu
** In the version of this Article originally published, the structure given in Fig. 3a for rhodamine 6G (compound 5) was incorrect. The error has now been corrected in the HTML and PDF versions.
